Photography and Filming

With certain limitations, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History permits scholars, students and the general public to photograph the Museum and its collections.

For information on requesting Yale Peabody Museum materials, see below.

For Personal Use

In general, you can take photographs or film with hand-held cameras only, for noncommercial personal or academic purposes only (defined as without personal or corporate gain).

Any reproduction for sale of such photographs or visual recordings without the advance written permission of the Yale Peabody Museum is prohibited. The Yale Peabody Museum reserves the right to withhold or withdraw permission to photograph on its premises.

In Public Exhibition Halls

Personal photography is permitted in most Yale Peabody Museum's exhibition halls, but must not interfere with public use of the halls. Photography may be prohibited in certain exhibitions or for certain events and programs. If in doubt please inquire at the Admissions desk in the Peabody lobby.

All photography and filming of any kind of the Zallinger murals The Age of Reptiles and The Age of Mammals is strictly prohibited.

All other uses require the advance written permission of the Yale Peabody Museum. Contact the Permissions Office for information.

In the Collections

All requests for permission to photograph specimens and objects in the Yale Peabody Museum collections for noncommercial personal and scholarly purposes (defined as without personal or corporate gain) must be submitted in advance in writing.

Direct requests to the collections manager of the curatorial division, who will provide a request form to detail the requirements of your request and assess the usage requested. Photography may be prohibited in certain collections and collection areas. Unusual requests will require approval from the appropriate curator or curatorial designee or, in their absence, from the Director of the Yale Peabody Museum.

Commercial Filming and Photography Shoots

All requests for commercial filming and photography require the advance written permission of the Yale Peabody Museum. Download and submit our form with the details of your project:

Allow 2 weeks for a response and at least 4 weeks for approvals and scheduling of your location shoot. Requests are subject to availability of staff and space. The Yale Peabody Museum reserves the right to refuse requests not appropriate to the Museum’s mission.

Under no circumstances will permission be granted to photograph or film the Zallinger murals The Age of Reptiles and The Age of Mammals.For information on licensing these works of art, contact the Permissions Office.

Photographs of specimens and objects in the collections can be provided. Contact the Permissions Office for information on availability and fees. All requests must be made in advance in writing using our permissions form. Allow 2 weeks for a response.

Images, text and data from the Yale Peabody Museum archives, collections and publications are made available for outside personal, scholarly and commercial use according to the Usage Rights Policy adopted by the Yale Peabody Museum’s Board of Curators.

Access to Yale Peabody Museum collections are governed by Yale Peabody Museum collections policies and requires the written consent of the appropriate curatorial division. Contact the collections manager for information.

If you use or reproduce Yale Peabody Museum materials in any format, we ask that you cite the author and source of the materials as you would material from any printed work. For scholarly publication, presentation or redistribution in any format of collections catalog data and digital assets obtained from Yale Peabody Museum web services, departments and divisions, we request that you send a courtesy copy to the collections manager.

Images, text and data that may be under copyright may require the payment of usage fees in the case of for-profit uses, and must be made in writing, in advance, using the Yale Peabody Museum’s permission form.

Fees, including new photography, research and rush fees, may be charged depending on the extent of the services provided, the rights required, and the nature of use (as provided on our form). Contact the Permissions Office for information. Please allow a minimum of 2 weeks for a response.

The “Other” Peabody Museums

There are other museums in New England with the name Peabody. While these museums share a name and an historical connection with Yale’s Peabody, they are completely separate institutions. Please be sure that the Yale Peabody Museum is the source of the material you are requesting.